Castiglione And Modern Day Courtiers

14th century verona italy is known as the scaliger period because of being ruled by the scaligeri family.  the houses in verona where usually 2 to 3 story homes which were built with large living rooms. Life in verona was not bad verona was a medieval center of painting in the 14th century. Verona is home to the 3rd largest amphitheater which was built in 30 A.D.  and could accommodate 30,000+ people this structure was almost completely destroyed in 1117 A.D. due to an earthquake the people reused its stone for other projects.

The Courtier, originally written as a “courtesy book”, can now be considered to provide significant insight into the norms and practices associated with courtship and gender during the Renaissance era. The book’s third volume is a particularly insightful window into 16th century romantic ideals. Throughout Book Three, Baldassare Castiglione builds an elaborate perspective on what makes the perfect court lady, what sexual and social behavior is acceptable, and how an ideal couple (both courtier and court lady) should function.

Giovanni and Lusanna: Love and Marriage in Renaissance Florence by Gene Brucker provides a unique look into the life of commoners in the 15th century. This book follows the 1455 court case surrounding the alleged marriage between Giovanni della Casa and Lusanna, the daughter of Maestro Benedetto di Girolamo. Throughout this trial testimonies, from witnesses with a vast array of socioeconomic backgrounds are presented. These were people whose voices would likely have never been heard if not for this case. This particular cross-section of people creates a very clear picture of the hierarchical system in place during the renaissance. Throughout this book, it becomes clear that each person had his or her place within society.

Castiglione's The Courtier presents a set of female and male indications for being ideal or well-rounded persons, spread across four books of what was to become a Renaissance-specific manual for achieving the human etiquette ideal. A parallel is to be traced between these precepts that were drawn five centuries ago, and the current situation.

“I’ll be out of here and away from all you knaves for one time anyway, as not a month will pass before you’ll see whether I’m nobody or a somebody.” The story of Bianco Alfani reflected the nature of 14th century Florentine society where, as Alfani remarked, the election to public office could make or destroy a person. In late 14th century and early 15th century Florence, decreased population and expanding commerce provided a favorable environment for ambitious individuals. The real life examples of Buonaccorso Pitti and Gregorio Dati demonstrated the positive role of ambition in Florence. Pitti, a nobleman had an extremely successful career, partaking in military campaigns, holding public office in Florence and being an ambassador to

Throughout his lifetime, it is more than clear that he has created a legacy not only for

The focus of this paper will be to compare and contrast the works of two playwrights. The works that will be considered are Molière’s The Would-Be Gentleman and Beaumarchais’s The Marriage of Figaro. Both considered comedies, Moliere’s is a short play that tells the tale of Monsieur Jourdain, a tradesman who desires to become a gentleman. Beaumarchais’s play, second in the Figaro trilogy, follows the series of event prior to Figaro’s wedding. Figaro and his companions scheme to ensure that his marriage occurs smoothly. Furthermore, the plays are dated 100 years apart from each other, and they deal with the representation of social hierarchy, social mobility, and gender roles in various ways. With that in mind, they become good sources to compare and contrast the changes in society that occurred within those 100 years. This paper will compare both plays to examine how Molière further endorses the social values and ideas of his time, while Beaumarchais’s presents a shift in attitude towards those values and challenges them.

The three major categories that have been mentioned, respect, leadership, and social image, were the ways that a person with a high ranking of social order would act in public and within their own homes. The Book of The Courtier by Baldassar Castiglione was the base of the modern day books on proper etiquette; yet, the rules are now not only for the rich but also for the

  In eighteenth century novels, a common means of discussing the role of women in society is through the characterization of two good sisters. The heroine of such a novel is a pure, kind young woman who also has a streak of spunkiness. Her sister may be more good and kind, but she is more submissive and reserved. I would like to look at these sisters (and their mothers) in Ann Radcliffe’s A Sicilian Romance , and The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole.

When it comes to music history, the Castrati are one of the most important and debated topics. The Castrati were men (in Italian opera) that had been castrated during puberty to stop a flow of hormones, causing them to have the voice of a soprano woman, but the vocal power of an older, full-grown man. A general estimate said that four thousand boys a year were castrated in Italy. Some Castrati tried to make it in church choirs (which often gave them almost nothing of monetary value), most chose the opera route. They reigned supreme when they got onstage, being the obvious star of the show. They were the master performers that drew the crowd in with their amazing voices. During the Baroque

Thus he works most of his life striving to be the best, trying to be perfect

As a ship is without a sail or a king with no castle, so too is a courtier without a Court lady. In "The Book of the Courtier" Baldesar Castiglione not only included a perfect courtier, he also molded his female equivalent, a Court lady. "The Courtier" itself was a step by step guide intended to instruct the young, affluent and upwardly mobile in areas of manners, learning, sport and conduct. It was published in 1528, at a high point of humanistic thought and antiquarian chivalric interest in Renaissance Italy. Often overlooked or undervalued is the discussion of the ideal Court lady, described in eloquent and perfect detail by the characters of Caesar and Magnifico, who was assigned by the Duchess to

According to Castiglione the ideal man had to have a certain qualification and should be a well -rounded person. For example, they had to master all the skills of the medieval warrior as well as display physical proficiency. Education played an important role as well. The man should know Latin and Greek as well as his own native language. On the other hand, it was important to read and write well, draw, and play a musical instrument. He should do all this with grace. Castiglione stated, “Next he must arrange in good order what he has to say or write; then express it well in words, which ought to be precise, choice, rich, and rightly formed” (Fiero, 389). The man had to be very good at not only writing, but delivering the speech especially in

Both Julian in Flannery O’ Connor’s “Everything That Rises Must Converge” and Cassio in Shakespeare’s “Othello” have been raised to act and to believe that they are exceptional among their peers. This ingrained belief that they are better than others presents itself in the way they think and speak to those around them, who they choose to associate with, and how their lack of personal awareness negates any good intentions they may have.

Franco was born in 1546 in Venice into a family of native-born citizens. Her mother, Paola Francassa was a well-known courtesan but by the time she was sixteen, she followed her mothers footsteps and became one of the most distinguished, famous courtesans of the early modern period. Growing up she gained most of her education by being beside her brother while he was being tutored and therefore became a poet who articulated her pro-women views in poems and letters later in her life. Franco’s literary production was inflected by her role as an honored courtesan and her concern for other women during the renaissance.